Profile of tocilizumab and its potential in the treatment of giant cell arteritis

Abstract

Susan Patricia Mollan,1,2 John Horsburgh,1 Bhaskar Dasgupta3 1Birmingham Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, 2Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, 3Department of Rheumatology, Southend University Hospital, Southend-on-Sea, UK Abstract: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) remains a medical emergency due to the threat of permanent sight loss. High-dose glucocorticoids (GCs) are effective in inducing remission in the majority of patients, however, relapses are common which lengthen GC therapy. GC toxicity remains a major morbidity in this group of patients, and conventional steroid-sparing therapies have not yet shown enough of a clinical benefit to change the standard of care. As the understanding of the underlying immunopathophysiology of GCA has increased, positive clinical observations have been made with the use of IL-6 receptor inhibitor therapies, such as tocilizumab (TCZ). This has led to prospective randomized control trials that have highlighted the safety and efficacy of TCZ in both new-onset and relapsing GCA. Keywords: giant cell arteritis, temporal arteritis, Horton disease, interleukin-6, tocilizumab, treatment

Keywords

• Giant Cell Arteritis
• Temporal Arteritis
• Horton Disease
• Interleukin-6
• Tocilizumab
• Treatment